Climatic niche evolution in the viviparous Sceloporus torquatus group (Squamata: Phrynosomatidae).

The cold-climate hypothesis is the main and most supported explanation of the evolution of viviparity among reptiles. This hypothesis sustains that viviparity arose as a means to save eggs from an increased mortality in nests linked with low temperatures. In this sense, some authors have stated that viviparity could constitute an evolutionary constraint. However, the link between evolutionary constraints and the evolution of ecological niches has not been well studied. Here, we study the climatic niche evolution of a group of viviparous lizards from North America to test whether the diversification of the group is linked with Phylogenetic Niche Conservatism (PNC). We evaluated phylogenetic signals and trait evolution, besides a reconstruction of ancestral climate tolerances, and did not find PNC in the ecological niche of the species in the group. Surprisingly, we did not find conservatism in any bioclimatic variables associated with temperature; we only had evidence of conservatism in Precipitation Seasonality (Bio15) and Precipitation of Coldest Quarter (Bio19). Analysis of relative disparity through time (DTT) indicates high divergence around 4.0 MYA and 0.65 MYA that coincides with orogenic and glacial periods. There is no evidence that climatic niche differentiation was the main factor in the diversification of the studied group. Orogenic and glacial periods probably promote cycles of the availability of new territories and isolation, which could promote the rapid accumulation of ecological differences between the species of the group.

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Climatic niche evolution in the viviparous Sceloporus torquatus group (Squamata: Phrynosomatidae).

10.7287/peerj.preprints.3493 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Norberto Martínez-Méndez ◽

Omar Mejía ◽

Jorge Ortega ◽

Fausto R. Méndez-de la Cruz

Keyword(s):

Niche Differentiation ◽

Cold Climate ◽

Ecological Niches ◽

Evolutionary Constraint ◽

Niche Evolution ◽

Climatic Niche ◽

Precipitation Seasonality ◽

Bioclimatic Variables ◽

Glacial Periods ◽

Main Factor

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Climatic niche evolution in the viviparousSceloporus torquatusgroup (Squamata: Phrynosomatidae)

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.6192 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 6 ◽

pp. e6192 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Norberto Martínez-Méndez ◽

Omar Mejía ◽

Jorge Ortega ◽

Fausto Méndez-de la Cruz

Keyword(s):

Phylogenetic Signal ◽

Principal Component ◽

Niche Differentiation ◽

Cold Climate ◽

Niche Conservatism ◽

Niche Evolution ◽

Climatic Niche ◽

Precipitation Seasonality ◽

Bioclimatic Variables ◽

Dry Conditions

The cold-climate hypothesis maintains that viviparity arose as a means to prevent increased egg mortality in nests owing to low temperatures, and this hypothesis represents the primary and most strongly supported explanation for the evolution of viviparity in reptiles. In this regard, certain authors have stated that viviparous species will exhibit speciation via climatic niche conservatism, with similar climatic niches being observed in allopatric sister species. However, this prediction remains to be tested with bioclimatic variables relevant to each viviparous group. In the present study, we examined climatic niche evolution in a group of North American viviparous lizards to determine whether their diversification is linked to phylogenetic niche conservatism (PNC). We evaluated the phylogenetic signal and trait evolution of individual bioclimatic variables and principal component (PC) scores of a PC analysis, along with reconstructions of ancestral climate tolerances. The results suggest that diversification of theSceloporus torquatusgroup species is associated with both niche differentiation and PNC. Furthermore, we did not observe PNC across nearly all bioclimatic variables and in PC2 and PC3. However, in Precipitation Seasonality (Bio15), in Precipitation of Coldest Quarter (Bio19) and in PC1 (weakly associated with variability of temperature), we did observe PNC. Additionally, variation of the scores along the phylogeny and Pagel’s delta (δ) >1 of PC3 suggests a fast, recent evolution to dry conditions in the clade that sustainsS. serrifer.

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Climatic niche evolution is faster in sympatric than allopatric lineages of the butterfly genus Pyrgus

Proceedings of The Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rspb.2017.0208 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 284 (1852) ◽

pp. 20170208 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Camille Pitteloud ◽

Nils Arrigo ◽

Tomasz Suchan ◽

Alicia Mastretta-Yanes ◽

Roger Vila ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Spatial Scale ◽

Ecological Niche ◽

Niche Differentiation ◽

Evolutionary Rates ◽

Evolutionary Significance ◽

Niche Evolution ◽

Ecological Divergence ◽

Climatic Niche ◽

Biogeographic Regions ◽

The Impact

Understanding how speciation relates to ecological divergence has long fascinated biologists. It is assumed that ecological divergence is essential to sympatric speciation, as a mechanism to avoid competition and eventually lead to reproductive isolation, while divergence in allopatry is not necessarily associated with niche differentiation. The impact of the spatial context of divergence on the evolutionary rates of abiotic dimensions of the ecological niche has rarely been explored for an entire clade. Here, we compare the magnitude of climatic niche shifts between sympatric versus allopatric divergence of lineages in butterflies. By combining next-generation sequencing, parametric biogeography and ecological niche analyses applied to a genus-wide phylogeny of Palaearctic Pyrgus butterflies, we compare evolutionary rates along eight climatic dimensions across sister lineages that diverged in large-scale sympatry versus allopatry. In order to examine the possible effects of the spatial scale at which sympatry is defined, we considered three sets of biogeographic assignments, ranging from narrow to broad definition. Our findings suggest higher rates of niche evolution along all climatic dimensions for sister lineages that diverge in sympatry, when using a narrow delineation of biogeographic areas. This result contrasts with significantly lower rates of climatic niche evolution found in cases of allopatric speciation, despite the biogeographic regions defined here being characterized by significantly different climates. Higher rates in allopatry are retrieved when biogeographic areas are too widely defined—in such a case allopatric events may be recorded as sympatric. Our results reveal the macro-evolutionary significance of abiotic niche differentiation involved in speciation processes within biogeographic regions, and illustrate the importance of the spatial scale chosen to define areas when applying parametric biogeographic analyses.

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Habitat use and the coexistence of the sika deer and the Japanese serow, sympatric ungulates from Mt. Asama, central Japan

Mammalia ◽

10.1515/mammalia-2019-0150 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 84 (6) ◽

pp. 503-511

Author(s):

Hayato Takada ◽

Riki Ohuchi ◽

Haruko Watanabe ◽

Risako Yano ◽

Risako Miyaoka ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Habitat Use ◽

Sika Deer ◽

Cervus Nippon ◽

Niche Differentiation ◽

Ecological Niches ◽

Dwarf Bamboo ◽

Central Japan ◽

Habitat Mosaic ◽

The Japanese Archipelago ◽

Japanese Serow

AbstractDifferential resource use allows for diverse species to specialize in ecological niches and thus coexist in a particular area. In the Japanese archipelago, increasing sika deer (Cervus nippon, Temminck 1836) densities have excluded the Japanese serow (Capricornis crispus, Temminck 1836), but in places where deer population densities are low, the two species coexist. We wanted to better understand their habitats and how these two ungulates manage to coexist. We evaluated the role of habitat use in the coexistence of these two sympatric ungulates on Mt. Asama, central Japan. Deer frequently used the dwarf bamboo-rich communities in autumn and winter, and their habitat use was not associated with topography. Serows frequently used deciduous broadleaf shrub-rich communities and steep slopes throughout the year. Consequently, their habitat use was significantly different in terms of vegetation and topography. Niche breadth suggests that deer tend to be generalists, whereas serows tend to be specialists. Niche differentiation in habitat use between deer and serows may make the coexistence of these similarly sized ungulates possible in Japanese mountainous zones. Therefore, the fine-grained habitat mosaic of different vegetation and topography areas might be the underlying feature that allows the coexistence of these two species.

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A Bioclimate-Based Maximum Entropy Model for Comperiella calauanica Barrion, Almarinez and Amalin (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) in the Philippines

Insects ◽

10.3390/insects12010026 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 26

Author(s):

Billy Joel M. Almarinez ◽

Mary Jane A. Fadri ◽

Richard Lasina ◽

Mary Angelique A. Tavera ◽

Thaddeus M. Carvajal ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Maximum Entropy ◽

Habitat Suitability ◽

Species Distribution Model ◽

Biological Control Agent ◽

The Philippines ◽

Distribution Model ◽

Field Surveys ◽

Probability Of Occurrence ◽

Precipitation Seasonality ◽

Bioclimatic Variables

Comperiella calauanica is a host-specific endoparasitoid and effective biological control agent of the diaspidid Aspidiotus rigidus, whose outbreak from 2010 to 2015 severely threatened the coconut industry in the Philippines. Using the maximum entropy (Maxent) algorithm, we developed a species distribution model (SDM) for C. calauanica based on 19 bioclimatic variables, using occurrence data obtained mostly from field surveys conducted in A. rigidus-infested areas in Luzon Island from 2014 to 2016. The calculated the area under the ROC curve (AUC) values for the model were very high (0.966, standard deviation = 0.005), indicating the model’s high predictive power. Precipitation seasonality was found to have the highest relative contribution to model development. Response curves produced by Maxent suggested the positive influence of mean temperature of the driest quarter, and negative influence of precipitation of the driest and coldest quarters on habitat suitability. Given that C. calauanica has been found to always occur with A. rigidus in Luzon Island due to high host-specificity, the SDM for the parasitoid may also be considered and used as a predictive model for its host. This was confirmed through field surveys conducted between late 2016 and early 2018, which found and confirmed the occurrence of A. rigidus in three areas predicted by the SDM to have moderate to high habitat suitability or probability of occurrence of C. calauanica: Zamboanga City in Mindanao; Isabela City in Basilan Island; and Tablas Island in Romblon. This validation in the field demonstrated the utility of the bioclimate-based SDM for C. calauanica in predicting habitat suitability or probability of occurrence of A. rigidus in the Philippines.

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Distribution Patterns and Ecological Niches of the Red-tongued Pit Viper (Gloydius ussuriensis) and the Central Asian Pit Viper (Gloydius intermedius) in Cheonmasan Mountain, South Korea

Russian Journal of Herpetology ◽

10.30906/1026-2296-2021-28-6-348-354 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 28 (6) ◽

pp. 348-354

Author(s):

Min Seock Do ◽

Ki-Baek Nam

Keyword(s):

South Korea ◽

Ecological Niche ◽

Distribution Patterns ◽

Niche Differentiation ◽

Habitat Characteristics ◽

Ecological Niches ◽

Mountainous Area ◽

Dry Land ◽

Central Asian ◽

Geographical Environment

Studies on the distribution of species are important to understanding the interspecific ecological niche and habitat selection through geographic environmental information. Particularly, vipers in the same genus have been an important topic because they show differences in the preferred geographical environment, depending on the distance of the phylogenetic relationship. This study investigated the geographical environment of red-tongued pit vipers (Gloydius ussuriensis) and Central Asian pit vipers (Gloydius intermedius) in the mountainous area, Cheonmasan Mountain County Park, South Korea, from April 2012 to October 2014, to understand the relationships among their habitat characteristics and ecological niche. Red-tongued pit vipers mainly lived in low altitude, wet valley areas with a low solar reflectance, while Central Asian pit vipers inhabited high altitude, dry land with large amounts of sunshine. As a result, our study supports that the ecological niche of red-tongued pit vipers and Central Asian pit vipers, inhibiting in Cheonmasan Mountain was overlapped low according to the majority of geographical environmental variables. The differentiated diet preference might be took into consideration as one of the potential key factors to the ecological niche differentiation among two species.

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